Spruce up your wardrobe with these trends

Shreyanka Mazumdar talks to top fashion designers in the country to find out how you can assimilate the five hottest styles that currently rule the runway, into your wardrobe

There’s something about fashion weeks. Packed with glitz and glamour, they inspire designers to put their best foot forward with chutzpah. Models sashay down the runway wearing the season’s latest trends. But for fashion novices who don’t know prêt from couture or how is an outfit’s silhouette defined, the topmost question on their mind is whether they can wear any of them. We speak to five designers to find out which trends can be easily assimilated into your wardrobe:

The new-age bride

A model shuns the dupatta and sports a baby pink lehenga-choli and a jacket

She doesn’t wear the usual, heavy lehenga for her D-day. The new-age bride is a modern take on the traditional bridal look where the extravagantly embroidered lehenga or sari is replaced by subtler alternatives keeping the tradition intact. Ace couturier Manish Malhotra suggests an easy yet suave wedding look. “Brides can take a break from the conventional traditional blouse, lehenga and dupatta and opt for unusual colours such as pastel shades (read baby pink, powder blue, pistachio green) or bright orange and fuchsia. Though it’s an important Indian tradition for the bride to cover her head during rituals in almost all religions, she can do away with the scarf or dupatta. According to me, mixing colours and separates is the biggest trend right now,” he says. Malhotra suggests opting for contrasting shades such as orange and fuchsia, blue and yellow, pink and yellow, pink and red, magenta and green.

Normcore

Go casual by wearing oversized skirts and pair them with shoes to complete the look

It’s the easy, unpretentious, carelessly chic style you can’t go wrong with. But with a dash of bright make-up, it can transform your entire look. “Normcore is a huge trend this season when paired with high-fashion make-up and accessories,” says young designer Masaba Gupta. She suggests, “Team up sweat shirts, boyfriend jeans, oversized clothing, basic tanks with sneakers or casual footwear with bright make-up. Opt for coral, orange-based pink lipsticks, brick red, plum and fuchsia shades.” After all, dressing down can be cool, too.

Black and gold: A classic combination

Turn a simple black outfit trendy by pairing it with bold gold accessories

Who said a colour combination can’t be a hot trend of the season? “The black and gold combo that has never been out of fashion is the hot pick this season. However, do not go overboard with this combination, as it is a striking mix itself. Excessive accessorising will make you look loud and unappealing. Wear a black outfit and team it up with gold costume jewellery,” says designer Gaurav Gupta.

A fish-net gown is a good option to hide those problem areas

Asymmetrical brocade jackets and fish-cut gowns are also making a statement this season, he adds. Brocade is one of those few fabrics that drapes the body well, while the asymmetrical front accentuates your assets and hides your ‘problem areas’. If you have wide hips, settle for fish-cut gowns, as they hug your body at all the right places.

Urban tribal

Sequinned jackets and skirts can give you that extra edge while stepping out

Fashion takes a wild turn as urban tribal prints dominate the trend this season. From geometrics to animal prints and abstract, tribal print is futuristic and fascinating. Designer Amit Aggarwal says, “Make a bold fashion statement with tribal textiles, totems and graphic tribal prints. Choose from cowl-necked blouses with terracotta prints, embellished skirts, pants with paisley prints, jackets with tassels and team them up with debossed bangles and embroidered pouches.”

The sheer effect

Vaani Kapoor pairs a a sequinned blouse and embroidered churidaar with a sheer skirt

Going sheer can be tricky. If done in the right way, it can look elegant, but if you overdo it, it looks tacky. The key is to flaunt your best assets without going over the top. “The upcoming trend of sheer pants with embroidery and prints is replacing the traditional churidar. Keeping it minimalistic is the best way to sport sheer,” says designer Varun Bahl.

Other trends to look out for1. Mid-length skirts: Several designers including Urvashi Joneja and Yogesh Chaudhary showed how mid-length skirts can look sexy.2. Flowy silhouettes: These have been in vogue for a while and will continue to be so for their elegant yet chic look.3. Checks: These prints will dominate the fashion circles in the months to come.